A Parent's Responsibility
by Reda
Summary: Goku Day - Early in the morning, Goku wants to go out training but he's interrupted by the wailing of his newborn son and has to make a choice of whether to go or stay and handle the new responsibility.


**Son Family Week**

 **Goku Day (5/9)**

 **Prompt: Sacrifice**

 **Author Notes:** I have a favorite time frame. I can't help it. I can flood it with all the cute scenes I dare to imagine. (Orz sorry for posting this late)

 **Characters:** Goku, Gohan, Chi-Chi

 **Pairing:** GoChi

 **Words:** 922

 **Time Setting:** Between DB and Z

 **Title:** A Parent's Responsibility

~!~

Goku stepped out of his house with a determined air to his movements. The sky was still dark in the early hours of the morning. As long as he was quiet, he should be able to sneak away.

Ever since he'd started this family adventure, he had discovered that he'd experienced fewer chances to go off training at the drop of a hat. He wasn't thinking of running off for days at a time or anything. No. This was home now and he liked it here.

Chi-Chi's cooking was by far the best he'd ever come across. He wouldn't miss one of her meals voluntarily. At least not anytime soon. They'd been married for a little over a year now. And he enjoyed every moment of it.

Well.

Almost every moment.

Putting a hand behind his head, Goku laughed at the recent memories. Chi-Chi could be pretty scary when she was pregnant. Though now she was quiet by comparison. Tired all the time.

Not that he could blame her. Gohan, his newborn son, proved to be quite the handful. Even a few months after the birth and Goku was still worried about waking the baby up early. He wanted to sneak out for a few hours and get a morning workout going, but if Gohan woke up now, then he would feel bad leaving Chi-Chi alone to take care of him.

Hopefully he wouldn't have to worry about any of that. Hopefully he'd be able to step away for just a little bit and -

The wailing baby cry came from Gohan's window and froze Goku in his tracks.

Goku took in a deep breath and let it out slowly, whining a little to himself. He looked out at the deep forested area practically beckoning to him. So quiet. So empty. So peaceful in the early hours before sunrise. All he needed to do was ignore the muffled cries behind him and plunge forward into a personal training routine. Get away and do what he was itching to do.

He almost did it. He almost walked right into that jungle, almost disappeared in the wildlife of the mountain. Gohan would be fine. Chi-Chi could take care of the baby. In fact, she probably wouldn't expect anything else from him.

Maybe it was the thought of Chi-Chi that kept him grounded. Maybe it was the reminder he had seen last night, the look of exhaustion on her face as she forced herself from the bed to take care of the baby shortly after they had lain down to sleep. The image he had seen countless times since Gohan's birth. The image that was now burned in his mind.

He _could_ leave it all to her, but that didn't exactly sit right with him. The more he thought about it, the more he knew he was doomed to head back inside and forget about morning training. At least for today. Maybe this was why he didn't like to always think everything through before acting on it.

Goku felt his shoulder's slump a little, but a small smile formed on his face anyway. Turning away from his temptation, he opened the door to his house and slid back inside. Careful with the door so as not to wake Chi-Chi – if the baby hadn't pulled her out of sleep already. She was far more attuned to Gohan's cries.

Stepping lightly, Goku made his way down the hallway. He could feel his wife's _ki_ shifting in their room, and he had to wonder if that meant she was awake after all. Either way, he'd already made his decision and he wasn't turning back now.

As he slid into Gohan's room, he smiled brightly and whispered over his son's cries. "Hey, Gohan, it's okay. Daddy's here."

The wailing stopped shortly after the words left his mouth, though he wasn't sure if it was because of his voice or his presence alone. Either way, Goku soon found himself leaning over the side of the baby's crib. He reached down with the intent of picking his son up, only to pause when Gohan snatched his finger.

He laughed as the boy brought the finger to his mouth and tried to suck on it. "Aw, are you hungry? I'm afraid you'll have to wait for your mother if you want food."

A cooing babble was his response, so Goku laughed again. He smiled down at the little guy, still amazed at how this had even happened to him in the first place. Married to Chi-Chi. Having a son together. He was sure his friends would be shocked if they knew. It was like he had settled down a bit from the adventurous child he had once been.

Well. If having a family meant experiencing little moments like this, then he'd sacrifice anything to keep having them. As soon as that little monkey tail of Gohan's wrapped around Goku's wrist, he knew he was as good as caught. Giving up a little of his own desires to keep his family safe and happy…

Honestly, he didn't mind so much.

Maybe he would take another opportunity to disappear for a little time to himself, but for right now, in this moment with his little baby of a son babbling nonsense to him – he knew he'd made the right choice to stay. Especially when Chi-Chi showed up some time later to feed Gohan. He continued to stay, standing nearby and watching them both with warmth in his chest and a smile on his face.


End file.
